After the poor show in Huzurabad bypolls, trouble started brewing in Telangana Congress just a day after the results were announced. Internal clashes among senior leaders came to light at the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting, conducted at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad recently.
Expressing displeasure over the Congress candidate’s defeat in the bypoll under the leadership of A Revanth Reddy, senior leader K Jana Reddy left the meeting in the middle citing a busy schedule in his home constituency, Nagarjunasagar. Jana also informed the PAC, headed by State Congress in-charge Manickam Tagore, that he would not attend every meeting of the party from here onwards.
Making the meeting more gloomy further, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and senior leader Renuka Chaudhary exchanged a war of words. Renuka alleged that the CLP leader was not making efforts to strengthen the party in Khammam district from where the latter is a sitting MLA. She questioned the CLP leader for creating group politics in the district.
Similarly, senior leader and Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Munugodu MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy distanced themselves from the meeting. The duo raised strong objection to the appointment of Revanth as TPCC president recently. Some leaders in the meeting also raised doubts over fielding “weak candidate” in the just-concluded Huzurabad byelection. The Congress would have got more votes if a leader from the SC community was fielded in the bypoll, several felt. Congress forfeited deposit by not even securing 4,000 votes in the byelection.
The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting of the Telangana Congress held on Wednesday after the Huzurabad results saw a heated exchange of words between the leaders apart from views.
While the meeting was supposed to draw out a plan for the party’s agitational programmes against government policies serious questions were raised on the Huzurabad candidate’s selection and the loss. Senior leader V. Hanmantha Rao raised the issue and asked why a BC or an SC leader was not given the ticket but a novice like Venkat Balmoor.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajnarsimha, who was the incharge for candidate’s selection, left the meeting abruptly apparently annoyed that he was being targeted by Hanmantha Rao, who has also sought serious review of the party’s losses. He also suggested that Komatireddy brothers should be asked to be more active in the party and he would personally convince them.
Another senior leader K. Jana Reddy said the entire leadership should take responsibility for any loss and apparently questioned the TPCC president, A. Revanth Reddy as to why he alone owned up the responsibility. Party should send a strong message that leaders are united in any situation was apparently his argument.
Sangareddy legislator, T. Jayaprakash Reddy, who created a stir with his comments in the media targeting Mr. Revanth Reddy over the loss spoke his heart out again at the meeting. At the same time, he assured the AICC incharge Manickam Tagore that he would stay way from media and will make measured comments whenever he speaks. Later, he clarified that his comments were hurting people but his intentions were not that.
Meanwhile, the PAC has decided to hold a week-long Praja Chaitanya Yatra from November 14 to 21, across the State and also launch a series of agitations on the issues concerning farmers, Podu lands and the rising prices of fuel and other essential commodities.
The Congress in-charge, meanwhile, directed the party leaders to restrain from making any media statements on party’s affairs that could malign the party image. However, in a quick reaction, party senior leader VH Hanumantha Rao objected to the restrictions imposed on leaders from making media statements. #KhabarLive #hydnews
